John King On CNN Ratings, Lou Dobbs And Plans For His New Show

One detail about his new 7pmET CNN program is set in stone – you’ll see the ‘Magic Wall.’ “Of course you will,” King told Mediaite. “One of the things we think is very important is to use technology in ways to make information more accessible, understandable and interactive with our audience.”

“The world has changed. People have amazing access to whatever they want, whenever they want it. The wall is one piece of technology we have at our disposal to take people closer.”

CNN has made a big push for interactivity – with Twitter, iReports and more – but there hasn’t been as much incorporation in a way that impacts the audience in the evening hours. King’s show could be a good first step. “The world has changed,” he said. “People have amazing access to whatever they want, whenever they want it. The wall is one piece of technology we have at our disposal to take people closer.”

One thing about King’s current role is the travel it requires. Seeing the country (again, 45 states in 45 weeks) as a whole has given the CNN anchor a unique perspective. “The country is a very complicated jigsaw puzzle, and it’s easier for me to understand why it’s so hard for even Democratic Senators to agree on things,” he said. “Some are from Little Rock and some are from San Francisco and those are very different places, even if you’re a Democrat.”

CNN’s choice of King is not a surprise, and some may even call it a safe pick. The Sunday morning show has been a training ground for a larger role at the network, and King’s 2008 Election work pegged him as an objective, fair and interesting anchor. But it doesn’t rock the boat. If King can separate himself from the pack of anchors, distinguish his program as not just another ‘news’ program currently on CNN prime time, the show will be a success. But will it happen? We’ll see next year.

Here’s a look behind-the-scenes as King prepares for interviews earlier this year:

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